Japan’s Sweet Twist on Valentine’s Day
Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — Nobody does Valentine’s Day quite like the Japanese — more specifically, Japanese women.While Feb. 14 has been set aside as the day of romance in the U.S., Japanese tradition calls for women to give chocolates …
Secretary of State John Kerry Has New Ideas for Syria Crisis
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Newly-confirmed Secretary of State John Kerry says he plans to use his first overseas trip to promote new ideas about how to convince Syrian President Basher al-Assad to agree to a political transition tha…
US Still Assessing Whether N.Korea Test Was Nuclear, Claims Panetta
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — At what he called his final Pentagon press conference Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the U.S. is still trying to determine if the North Korean test early Tuesday morning was really nuclear. North Ko…
UN Security Council Unanimously Condemns North Korean Nuclear Test
KIM JAE-HWAN/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — In a rare show of unanimity, the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday issued a strong statement against North Korea’s detonation of an underground nuclear device, thus setting the stage for yet another r…
Syrian Conflict Death Toll Nears 70,000
Scott Peterson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The death toll from the two-year-long conflict in Syria is apparently higher than previously thought, with the United Nations putting the number of fatalities at close to 70,000.It was just last month that the U…
North Korea Nuclear Test ‘Highly Provocative,’ Obama Says
KIM JAE-HWAN/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Obama called North Korea’s latest nuclear test “a highly provocative act” that undermines regional stability and threatens international peace.North Korea announced earlier on Tuesday that it succe…
Thai Airline Calendar with “Maxim” Models Has Officials Steaming
Nok Air(BANGKOK) — The low-cost Thai airline Nok Air is bringing new meaning to the phrase, “Fly the Friendly Skies” by hiring scantily clad Maxim models to show off its fleet of planes in a series of photos in a promotional calendar. But the Thai Min…
US Begins Shipping Supplies Out of Afghanistan
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dexter S. Saulisbury/Released(KABUL, Afghanistan) — In a sign of what is to come, the Pentagon has started shipping heavy equipment out of Afghanistan in anticipation of its major military withdrawal scheduled for…
North Korea Tremor Arouses Suspicion of Nuclear Test
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images(TOKYO) — A large tremor measured at magnitude 4.9 was detected by the U.S. Geological Survey in North Korea, and governments in the region are trying to determine whether it was a nuclear test that the North Korean regime…
North Korea Tremor Arouses Suspicion of Nuclear Test
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images(TOKYO) — A large tremor measured at magnitude 4.9 was detected by the U.S. Geological Survey in North Korea, and governments in the region are trying to determine whether it was a nuclear test that the North Korean regime…
North Korea Tremor Arouses Suspicion of Nuclear Test
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images(TOKYO) — A large tremor measured at magnitude 4.9 was detected by the U.S. Geological Survey in North Korea, and governments in the region are trying to determine whether it was a nuclear test that the North Korean regime…
Year of the Snake Begins in China
George Doyle/Thinkstock(BEIJING) — Goodbye dragon, hello snake. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, Monday marks the Year of the Snake.In China, it’s believed the universe is made up of five elements: earth, water, fire, wood and metal.A Sn…
Gen. Allen Hands Off Command of Afghanistan to Gen. Dunford
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(KABUL, Afghanistan) — U.S. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford is officially the new commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan.Dunford takes over for Marine Gen. John Allen, who stepped down Sunday during a ceremony in Kabul.&n…
Iranian President Seems to Ignore Supreme Leader’s Edict
ABC/Donna Svennevik(TEHRAN, Iran) — Sending mixed signals seems to be Iran’s forte.
Last week, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued an edict that effectively ended any possibility that Tehran will hold bilateral discussions on issues the…
Iranian Refugees in Iraq Killed by Mortar Attack
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — The Iraqi government is being pressed by U.S. and United Nations officials to conduct an investigation into Saturday’s attack on a refugee camp on the outskirts of Baghdad that killed at least six Iranians and wounded…
Boyfriend Rentals Boom During Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day
Zoonar/Thinkstock(BEIJING) — Chinese Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day are only days apart this year, giving a boost to a new and booming business in China — boyfriend rentals.Taobao, China’s popular shopping website, says that online searches for t…
Muslim Group Urges Dialogue to End Syrian Conflict
Scott Peterson/Getty Images(CAIRO) — Muslim leaders meeting in Cairo said on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a coalition of opposition forces must soon engage in “serious dialogue” on political transition to end the two-year conflic…
Iran’s Supreme Leader Nixes Direct Talks with US
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TEHRAN, Iran) — The real power in Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, says direct talks with the U.S. are out of the question.Maintaining a stance he’s held for nearly a quarter of a century, Iran’s supreme leader issued an edic…
Japan Scrambles Jets in Island Dispute with Russia
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — The Japanese government lodged a protest with Moscow on Thursday after two Russian fighter jets briefly violated Japanese air space above disputed islands off the northern coast of Hokkaido island, the defense ministry …
White House Hits Iran with New Round of Sanctions
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — In the continuing effort to get Tehran to give up its rogue nuclear ambitions, the White House on Wednesday broadened already punishing sanctions against the Iranian government that now include zeroing in on its st…